Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot
by IsabellaForever
Summary: On a cold New Year's Eve, Connie Beauchamp discovers what the next year has in store for her, as a man she tried so hard to forget, re enters her life. Explores the intricate relationship of love, lust and longing between Connie and Sam Strachan.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is the first piece of fanfiction I have uploaded to this site, and my first ever Casualty fanfiction (eeeek!) I hope you enjoy it, I'm not sure when my regular updating day will be just yet but I will let you know soon. Please review, follow and favourite- it would make my day!**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 1

It had been a good ten minutes before midnight on the 31st of December, and Connie had sat in the corner of the pub amongst her work colleagues. Silently listening in on their conversations, the clinical lead found amusement in the gossip being divulged unknowingly from the incredibly intoxicated people she worked with:

"You know... I heard a little teeny weeny rumour... that Rita likes to put pictures of people she hates... HATES... in...in...her washing machine," mumbled Zoe to a captivated audience.

"No! No I don't Zoe," moaned Rita "No no no I.. I put them in the dish washer! HAHAHAHA!" The uncontrollable cackling that followed gave Connie a headache.

Despite the free entertainment, she really had no desire to be there, her only anchor to the seat she was perched on, being the knowledge that the relationship she had with her staff would worsen if she ignored them completely.

The deafening buzz of noise rang in her ears, as more pints were ordered and more people entered the quickly overcrowding pub.

The tinkling of the bell over the door had naturally caused her to lift her eyes from her fidgeting fingers every time.

But the fifth jingle was different.

On the fifth jingle, Sam Strachan stepped over the threshold.

At first she did not recognise the tall man who had slipped inside the hustle and bustle of the pub on New Year's Eve, and so returned to tracing shapes over the backs of her hands.

But for some reason she felt the urge to look up again. Her eyes had locked onto his and their equally shocked faces went unnoticed by anyone else.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, confused and dumbfounded. Sam cleared his throat and tilted his head almost undetectably to the side. With that, he twisted on his heel and walked out of the door.

Swiftly, Connie got up and followed, her heels clicking as she made her way out into the cold night air.

The first words he whispered to her were what caused her to stay starring at the sky well after the new year came in.

"You look stunning,"

After all this time? She thought. After all this time, that is the first thing you say to me?!

She had no idea what had truly made her so angry; maybe not knowing he was coming, or how he clearly wasn't expecting to find her in a pub.

Everything about him aggravated her. Why was he so overdressed? Where was Grace? What right did he have to be here and not in his precious America?!

Shards of crystal seemed to erupt in the air as the last firework of the night fizzled out. The clock had struck midnight minutes ago, and shouts of 'Happy New Year!' could still be heard, carried by the bitter wind across the ebony sky.

The looming building of Holby City Hospital was glowing with light, it's many windows reflecting flickers of blue fluorescence coming off the main road in the distance, too far away for the accompanying siren to be heard. The drunken group of staff across the road, staggered back into the pub, howling with uncontrollable laughter and ignoring the figures in the shadows.

A new year; a fresh start... For all but one.

Connie Beauchamp still stood as if entranced, glaring at the sky. If looks could kill, the sky would of been falling.

Her elegant body was wrapped in a designer shawl and sheltered in the darkness of the overhanging roof belonging to the side of the pub.

A picture of beauty, from the waves in her nutmeg coloured hair, the graceful hands settled stubbornly onto her hips, and to the glossy patent of her infamous Louboutin heels. Everything perfect, except for the forbidden tear that had escaped down her ice cold cheek.

She dared not turn around to finally face the person who embodied her past.

Sam, who stood behind her, waiting patiently, had the looks of a gentleman. Short, dark hair covered his head, a clean shaven face contorted into a frown of apprehension at the rigid stillness of the woman before him, and a black suit and tie fitted his muscled figure. He was a man who could not have been further away from the incoherence and slurring caused by excessive alcohol.

Sam Strachan knew precisely how he wanted his year to begin : in the presence of a woman he couldn't stand, whose demeanour was far from kind or welcoming, and whom he had not stopped loving for years.

Gingerly, he stepped infront of Connie, to break her death stare at the now surely frightened sky, and took a sharp intake of breath at the sight of her hazel eyes boring into his soul.

"I've missed you," he whispered softly.

"What are you doing here Sam?" She choked, her strong voice inevitably cracking mid-sentence.

"I don't know. All I know is that my life has had a void in it from the moment I left this godforsaken hospital and I have been such an idiot. It has taken me too long to accept that this void, this dark hole, which has almost swallowed me up, which has torn me apart countless times, was opened the second I left you,"

The Ice Queen laughed, the sound seeming detached from her body: too harsh to be in response to such a statement.

Moonlight enhanced the contours of her cheeks, as she breathed out in a disbelieving sigh. Looking straight into Sam's eyes, with a cynical grin spreading across her face, Connie Beauchamp used the form of attack she was best at, and hissed out the venemous words;

"Now tell me the truth"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, so I decided to publish another chapter because I have prewritten chapters coming out of my ears and I want to give you a better look at the story before having to wait a week for an update. So this is like a bonus :)**

**Isabella**

Chapter 2

"Is that all I'm going to get Connie? After pouring my rotten heart out, you don't even believe me?" Sam replied mockingly, attempting to disguise his disappointment at her response.

"I'm sure your wondering what I'm even doing here, in a suit and tie, in England,"

"Well your sudden presence did have me wondering" Connie said sarcastically, crossing her arms and waiting impatiently for the reply.

"The hospital I was working in, ran some experiments on new techniques that could be used in emergency medicine.

I was chosen to be trained up in these techniques, to represent the Hospital's studies abroad. I was then asked to find a hospital in the UK that would benefit from my training. Holby was the natural option.

I've been at an evening conference since I arrived about four hours ago, that had an unfortunate date and dress code. I decided to drink in the new year with a British beer. Let's just say I intended to meet you tomorrow morning... Not tonight in a pub,"

Disregarding the last comment, and trying to soak in the information she had just been told, Connie said, patronisingly: "I am assuming that Guy Self is rather in the shadows with regards to our background? I am so happy he told me all about your arrival, I truly could not have been more prepared."

"Well at least I know that Connie Beauchamp has not changed one bit. Still as witty and sarcastic as ever... No he isn't fully aware, though I'm sure sooner or later he will find out. I thought it best that I got here first though, I'm sure you can understand,"

"Naturally... Where's Grace?" The question was abrupt as the image of her daughter flashed across Connie's mind, an image triggered by the realisation of how like her father she had become in both looks and manner.

"Don't panic, she's fine, she's with Kieron still in New York. If you had any idea how much she loves it there, then you would understand why I left her. Kieron is more than capable of looking after her, he is older now and they get on like a proper brother and sister, not just like he is her half brother "

"Fine... That's that then... I don't doubt I shall see you tomorrow, but if you expect me to nanny you while you are here, you are mistaken. Goodnight Sam," and with that, Connie stalked off to her car, feeling a strange emptiness that oddly centred around her chest.

"Goodnight Connie," Sam whispered in reply to the woman who was now driving away, and, unbeknown to him, sobbing her broken heart out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! So I've decided that Saturday will be my update day- it's when I have the most time on my hands! Thankyou for all the lovely comments:**

**Aster Howl: it was my understanding that Maria had refused to go with Sam to America, and after realising he had moved on she had nothing more to do with him... And if that didn't happen, let's just say that for poetic license it did :D and also don't worry about your "strong feelings" Sam is supposed to be a bit raw when he returns... You'll see why later on in the story ;)**

**Enjoy!**

The next morning, Connie lay wide awake in bed long before her alarm screeched at her to get up. The tired woman flung her legs out from under the covers and shivered, more because of remembering the night before than for the chilly midwinter air swirling around her pristine bedroom.

Whilst she was getting ready for work, Connie tried to process all the possible outcomes that her day could have, and thought over what she would do in reaction to every awkward question, every explanation... every stolen glance.

After extraordinarily great consideration over every aspect of how she looked, Connie opted for a white blouse tucked loosely into a black pencil skirt and the highest heels she owned. First she tied her hair back in a bun, then tried an intricate plait hairstyle, before raking her fingers through the misbehaving waves and leaving it down.

Finally she looked in the mirror and mumbled to herself "You look just like usual you stupid woman,"

Ten miles away and half an hour earlier, Sam was also lying in bed, wide awake, as he had been for the last three hours...

XxxxxxxxxX

The moment Connie entered the hospital, she was greeted by a frantic looking Tess who informed her of a major minibus accident involving many casualties, who had been on their way to the coast for New Year's Day. No sooner had she spoken, than Dixie and several other paramedics rushed in with trolley after trolley of the injured, and Connie had no free moment to watch Sam enter the hospital hesitantly.

Naturally, many pairs of eyes followed him as he walked through the main corridor, desperately trying to remember his way around.

"And who do you think that is?" Whispered Robyn to Lofty.

"Beats me..." Was the reply, although the rather wistful look that had entered the girl's eyes caused Lofty to stare at Sam in a way that was far from hospitable.

Sam had made his way to the opposite end of the department, and seeing the chaos in the bay where the new casualties were being rushed in, he took a deep breath, rolled his sleeves up and ran in to help.

"Right everyone, this is Mr Strachan, he is here to teach us some new techniques from abroad and to help our department... Let's lift on three... one, two, three, there we go Mr Woodson. We are just going to give you something for the pain ok?" Connie continued to talk and order, whilst Sam looked on in amazement at her. He withheld a fond laugh at the thought of her finally finding a job where her natural bossiness was needed rather than put up with.

His staring continued whilst his hands were busy attaching drips and wires. The man marvelled at how her hair tumbled perfectly over her shoulder, how she spoke so clearly and without hesitation and how everyone did precisely what she said, out of both fear and admiration, though he believed few would admit it. What man could ever stop loving someone like the lady in front of him?

This was why he had been right to come back, if not for Holby, then for Connie, his Connie.

As the day progressed, Sam became a regular topic of conversation amongst the staff. Clipped comments and curious glances, ensured Sam knew full well what was going on. However everybody was so busy, that no one had time to talk to him properly. They were positive about one thing though- Mr Strachan knew Mrs Beauchamp as far more than just a colleague.

Charlie was quite sure he could remember who Sam Strachan was, and felt a strange protectiveness over Connie every time the younger man so much as glanced at her.

Charlie could tell that the woman was hurting because of how she completely threw herself into the work at hand , and though he knew that Sam's connection to her was not his own secret to tell, he found himself wanting desperately to let her know that he was there if she needed him.

Not that Mrs Beauchamp needed anyone.

Another man who was more than just curious in Sam, was Cal.

Every time Sam went to assist Connie, Cal intervened. He felt like he should be extremely hostile towards this newcomer, and couldn't quite bring himself to trust him.

The way he looked at Connie had nothing to do with it... Perhaps.

XxxxxxxxxX

"This is Sarah Watford, 34, severe lacerations to the right side of the face and petrol burns to her left arm. Also suspected fractured left wrist and two ribs!" called Ian as the last casualty from the accident was wheeled in.

It was five hours into her shift, she hadn't stopped for lunch and by now Connie was nothing short of exhausted, her hair a tangled mess, her silk white blouse splattered with several patient's blood, and her eyes slightly bloodshot.

" Mrs Beauchamp I must insist that you take a break," stated Sam, who had returned from his ten minute lunch and was concerned and disturbed to see her in such disarray.

"Really it's not necessary, I am perfectly fine... Now this is going to sting a bit Sarah," she said to the distressed woman as she attached the IV drip.

"You aren't going to help anyone in this state Connie," Sam persisted harshly and loudly through gritted teeth.

The replying glare told him he had not only stepped over the line, but rubbed it out completely.

"I think you should leave Mr Strachan," growled Cal taking a step forward. They scowled at each other and Tess was forced to intervene.

"Now really! Stop it you two, we need help not arguments, she's now unconscious and we need to find out why," scolded the Head Nurse, catching on to what the problem was.

Connie offered her a grateful glance for a fraction of a second, confirming Tess's suspicions.

"People, she must be bleeding out from somewhere! Dr Knight can you find the source?" Connie asked, as several machines let out the beeping sound that gave doctors like her nightmares.

After several stressful moments, Cal found it under one of the broken ribs.

"Ok she needs surgery immediately, get her into theatre. NOW!" instructed the harassed consultant, momentarily placing her hand on her cheek as the reality of the last few hours washed over her shattered body.

The trolley was wheeled out, and Connie sighed as the only people left in the room were Sam, Cal and her.

"Look mate, it was well out of line to speak to Mrs Beauchamp like that," said Cal, inching closer to Sam by the second.

"Firstly," growled Sam " I am not your _mate _and secondly, if I want to look out for someone and prevent them from _overworking _I believe I am quite entitled to. It really is none of your business! "

"Oh, so it's none of my business how my boss is spoken to?"

Connie was stressed enough as it was without having to deal with this.

"Will you just stop this right now! Your behaving like school children! It was a comment, unprofessional as it was, that was said in the heat of the moment and I hope we can leave it at that," she said, sighing as she saw the two men were giving each other death stares, rubbing their knuckles menacingly.

Then, right on cue, Dylan walked in, ignored the obvious situation entirely, and stated in his matter-of-fact way "Connie, your needed in cubicles," before turning and leaving.

Grateful for the excuse to escape, Connie strutted out of the room, praying that Sam and Cal would just finish each other off before the end of her shift.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone and Happy May!**

**This chapter reminisces on a famous scene between Connie and Sam and was honestly really fun to write!**

**Enjoy, read and review!**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 4

When the door closed after Connie had left the side bay, Cal gave Sam a final glare before storming out. Sam simply sighed... Today had not been the best start to the return he had been so excited for.

Wandering aimlessly through the corridors, and attempting to form a map in his head, the exhausted man reminisced over the times he had spent in the vast hospital. All the lives he had saved, and the ones he was never able to.

Having used up the last few minutes of his shift he slowly made his way to the locker room, ready to go to the hotel he was staying in until some form of accommodation became available. His trip had been relatively last minute, leaving him a mere three days to deal with care for Grace, packing, and final presentations for the meetings he needed to attend. A semi-permanent place to stay had been the last thing on his mind.

The door clicked behind Sam as he went to put on a new shirt and gather his things together, and he was completely oblivious to Connie standing behind him until he turned around to leave.

"Good grief Connie!" He exclaimed as the figure made him literally leap off the floor in shock.

"You may be a specialist in Cardiotherasics but hasn't my heart dealt enough blows from you already?"

"I'm sorry ... I'm not sure why I came really. I know today has been hard and you're obviously still finding your bearings but try not to make too many enemies while you're here," she warned cautiously. Her hair was still rather wild, and the whites of her eyes a little pink, but she had changed into scrubs and looked slightly less threatening than she had in her previous outfit and killer heels.

"I'm trying, but it appears I have already made one in you, and I wish you could understand how that hurts me. I'm not perfect, I'm trying to do my job,"

"That seems to be the only thing we have in common now," Connie muttered bitterly.

"Oh? Other than a beautiful daughter? And the fact we both spent a lovely time in a room just like this many years ago?" The startled man questioned.

"As I remember, I did slap you before that 'lovely time' happened..."

"Well, it wasn't your best moment but it was then that I realised I loved you,"

Tears welling in her eyes, Connie's voice shook as she shouted "This is why I didn't want you here! You come waltzing back into my life as if you never left, like you were never on death's door, leaving me to pick up the pieces! _That's_ who you are Sam, you're not in love with me, you just can't cope with the idea of me, back here and hap-"

"Don't you tell me your HAPPY Connie! Didn't it even cross your mind that I might have put myself forward to come here, because I _saw _the messages you sent to Grace... They were a pathetic attempt at hiding how _un_happy you are!"

Maliciously she replied "I swear Sam if you keep saying things like that to me I-"

Suddenly Sam grabbed Connie, pulling her towards him, and crushed his lips to hers.

She kissed him back instead of stopping him, gently at first and then with more passion, simply letting the bliss continue.

And in that brief moment she was finally at peace with the world...

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Cal had been furious to say the least with the new Doctor, his blind fury even causing him to forget the man's name.

How could someone like that ever have the nerve to treat Connie in such a disrespectful way? 'Looking out for her' he had said- Cal sharply exhaled out of his nose at the thought, but lingered on the question; What did the idiot actually know about Mrs Beauchamp?

The young doctor had avoided any hint of the gossip surrounding Holby's new arrival as if it were the plague. He never had been able to stand the staff's lack of sensitivity when it came to Connie.

Pacing across the staff room, Cal suddenly realised his shift had finished nearly ten minutes ago now. He would go to the pub and drown his sorrows, maybe even get into some kind of fight to alleviate the wrought iron tension that laced his very muscles.

Bombarding into the locker room, Cal was greeted by something far worse than a violent drunk.

Connie was pinned against the wall, passionately kissing _that man_. To say she was in a state of undress would be an understatement, her top flung recklessly on the floor, tangled with her lover's.

The bang of the door bouncing against the wall with the force if it's opening caused the two to immediately part, leaving them staring at the intruder.

Sam acted instinctively, grabbing Connie's blue scrub top and flinging it infront of her body to give her some protection, before putting himself infront of her, just in time for Cal's fist to make contact with his nose...


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! I'm very sorry this chapter is a bit rushed today, it is more of a filler for the excitement to come in the following updates. And my delightful teachers have given me enough homework to last a lifetime! I hope you enjoy it though. Please read and review**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 5

Before long, crashing and banging was all that could be heard from the locker room, as Cal unleashed all of his built up anger.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

"OH I'M SORRY CAL! I DIDNT REALISE THAT CONNIE BELONGED TO YOU!"

"WELL SHE CERTAINLY DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU!"

Sam refused to go down without fighting back, and as soon as Connie had thrown her top back on, she grabbed Sam and tried to drag him away, repeatedly bellowing "STOP IT!" in his ear.

Hearing the commotion, Ethan and Lofty ran in to help and were soon stood between the two furious men, both of whom had bloody noses and raspy breathing.

Connie was speechless and shaking as she ran from the men and the locker room, straight to her office, the only place she found comfort in. Many confused faces followed her as she nearly collided with an oncoming trolley, whispering "sorry" when she swept past. The second the door was slammed shut, blinds closed, she sank to the floor like she had many times before, and shook with her sobbing.

Lofty and Ethan then half led, half forced Cal away, sitting him in a cubicle and pulling across the curtain.

Finally, Ethan asked in wonder "What on earth was that all about?"

"Just leave me alone! Why didn't you let me finish him off...?" Cal trembled with rage and anger, flinching as Lofty attempted to dab at the cuts and scratches all over him.

"Well whatever he has done, I'm pretty sure he didn't deserve to get _beaten up_ on his first day in the ED..." Murmured Lofty.

"You have no idea..." Said Cal, more to himself than his curly haired friend.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sam was just questioning if the day could get any worse as he sat back down in the locker room, tissue to his nose, when the now rather bashed up door screeched open one more time to reveal a stick thin, seven foot tall man.

"Mr Hanssen I believe?" Sighed Sam, before adding hesitantly "Well I must say I didn't expect to see you here... I am a great fan of your work,"

The infamous man simply glared at him, taking in his dishevelled state, and disregarding any compliment intended.

"I wish to see you. In the morning. My new office if you please." Spoke the depressing giant swede with icy politeness.

And with that, the new CEO turned on his heel, leaving Sam feeling deflated and distinctly dreading what was to come in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! I just wanted to thank anyone who has left a comment on this fanfic- it means a lot! This chapter it sets the scene for a major event in the plot. I had to get a bit of Connie/Henrik tension in there somewhere, and expect more of that in the future :)**

**Happy reading!**

**Isabella **

Chapter 6

With annoying continuity, the next morning arrived. Sam went into work half an hour early, purely for the fact that he needed to mentally prepare himself for whatever Henrik Hanssen intended to throw at him.

He felt more ashamed by the minute about how forward he had been... How stupid he had been. Back aching, and face throbbing from the blossoming bruises adorning it, the doctor traipsed into the ED.

Surprisingly, the first person to greet him was Zoe, who said cheerily "Mr Strachan, I'm sure it can't be all that bad. Try and smile, it might rub off on us!" Before heading in the direction of a porter whom Sam didn't recognise. Though he would stake a fair amount of money on the fact that Zoe knew the young man rather personally.

Opting _not_ to go to the locker room, Sam entered the staffroom, clicked the kettle on, grabbed a tea bag and mug, and went to sit down at the little table in the centre of the room.

The handles on his watch seemed to move on fast forward, and he contemplated the vindictiveness of time. Time was surely a trickster, a master villain whose only intention was to do precisely the opposite of what anyone desired. This it could do simultaneously. For Sam, the half an hour swept by, but he knew that for Mr Hanssen, time would stay relatively consistent.

Eventually, Sam's time was up. He walked up to the CEO's office and knocked firmly to mask his anxiousness.

"Come in," came the smooth reply.

Upon entering, Sam was greeted by Mr Hanssen tapping a silver Newton's cradle, and watching with immense interest as the silver balls swung back and forth.

"Mr Strachan, I trust you know that I shall not tolerate violence of any kind in this hospital. I neither know nor care for your reasons or excuses. You are a phenomenal surgeon and doctor, we are privileged to have you working on the ED department. I carry no doubt that this will not happen again,"

"Yes, of course Mr Hanssen... It won't,"

Turning hastily, Sam headed for the door , only to be stopped by an ominous side comment:

"I'm sure you and the great Mrs Beauchamp will work well together... So long as that is all you do... _Work_,"

Sam's hesitant smile was cut half way by both his and Hanssen's pagers going off:

_Major explosion soup ED ASAP._

"Right, you can come to find out what is happening but do not expect to be going anywhere Mr Strachan," directed Hanssen.

"But I-" stammered Sam.

"No buts, you can stay to help with the incoming,"

The two men proceeded in awkward silence to the ED department, where all the staff were gathered around, listening to Charlie with anxious concentration.

"Ah, Mr Hanssen will be able to delegate for us," concluded the Senior Nurse upon seeing his arrival.

"Well, if Mrs Beauchamp could attend the scene then she can take two junior doctors with her," stated the CEO, adding "I am happy to leave you to choose," when he faced her. Connie gave him a quick glare before putting on a cheery facade.

"How lovely to see you again Mr Hanssen," she said sweetly and turned away, all the time 'Henrik Hitler' ringing in her ears.

And with that the staff dispersed to prepare for the estimated twenty casualties that were to be brought in.

Connie immediately strutted over to Lily and Ethan, intent at avoiding Cal and Sam at all costs.

"You two, with me, I'll meet you by the ambulances in five minutes,"

Rather amazed, but pleased, Lily and Ethan hurried away, tragically unaware of what the next few hours would bring...


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everybody,**

**The drama begins in this chapter! I hope you enjoy it, and please leave a review to make me smile,**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 7

It would surprise anyone, that a day as crisp and beautiful as that Saturday, could hold such terror for the people who remained trapped in the old vicarage, which had recently been used as a soup kitchen. Such a place was supposed to be a beacon of hope for those in need... The effects of a faulty boiler and an irresponsible smoker could literally burn such a beacon down to the ground.

An hour after their arrival, Connie, Ethan and Lily were finishing off loading the walking wounded into ambulances after giving them the once over. They now needed to get into the centre of the building-

A building which still had pockets of fire blazing furiously, a building which had broken glass, cracked bricks and melted metal works littering the floor, and whose entire structure remained dangerously unsteady.

"Well, this looks like it will be interesting," commented Ethan anxiously, as the three followed two firemen into the wreckage.

"I want you to stay infront of me at all times so I can see you both, ok?!" Called Connie over the roar of the vehicles surrounding them. Her motherly instincts took over whilst she helped Lily shakily step over a protruding iron girder.

The first fireman, Alfie, went in to begin with, followed by Ethan, Lily, Connie and a fireman called James.

Coughing ensued, as brick dust swirled menacingly in the air, clouding any clear view. Eventually, masks were required to get any further in.

The three doctors scanned the rubble with torches, their boots crunching every now and then, and their green uniforms glowing as the light reflected off glass shards in harsh beams of yellow.

Before too long, whimpering could be heard from underneath the remains of some toppled shelves.

"H-help! H-help us!"

"Over here!" Called James, heading over to the source of the noise. Connie quickly clambered over and withheld a gasp at the sight before her.

A young woman in her twenties was cradling her daughter, who Connie noticed was about Grace's age, in the small space between the floor and the bars of the shelves.

"It's ok, we are here now, can you tell me your names?" Soothed Connie, signalling for Ethan and Lily to join her.

"I'm B-Becky and this, this is Mandy," trembled the woman.

"Ok, Becky your leg is stuck under the rubble... We need you to be very brave, if we make a gap between you and the shelves, do you think that you could pass Mandy to us?" Asked Lily, taking in the blood stains on Becky's lower leg and how pale she was.

"No, Mummy! I don't want to leave you!" Wailed the child.

"It's ok sweetheart, you might get some food if they take you, and I'll meet you afterwards, I prom-" but she was cut off by a harsh gasp as Alfie and James lifted off the metalwork above her.

Quickly, Ethan reached out for Mandy and got her in his arms. She was flung out just in time as the shelves came crashing back down.

"It's no use," panted Alfie " they're stuck under too much rubble, we need to cut her out,"

"Right, Lily, you take Mandy with James, get her out of here, check her over and stay with her until we get out. And send more paramedics in to search for people. Ethan, you, me and Alfie, are going to stay here whilst Alfie cuts Becky out, then we will leave as soon as possible," as if to confirm her plan, a creaking above sent a down pour of dust and brick.

With that, Lily and James left hastily and Connie's plan went into action.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Back at the hospital, it was chaos. Filthy patients were stumbling about everywhere, weak from the trauma and lack of food. The doctors were rushed off their feet, but coping all the same.

However Cal and Sam were uneasy, all they could think about were the three that had gone to help at the scene.

Cal had been making a cup of tea, when suddenly he went cold and the mug fell and smashed into a thousand pieces.

Sam was halfway through stitching up a wound when someone walked over his grave, and his needle went to far, earning a harsh yelp from the patient. Yet Sam didn't hear it, something was wrong and all he knew was that he needed to get to the soup kitchen as fast as he possibly could...


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! For those of you at school , I hope you had a good half term. Casualty is finally on tonight! Whoop whoop! Thankyou to everyone who has commented and reviewed this story so far, I really appreciate it. Here's the next chapter. Sorry about all the cliffhangers, it keeps everything a bit more interesting :D **

**Isabella **

Chapter 8

Sam's Mercedes Benz hurled around every bend in it's path at a stupid speed. The man inside was half crazed with worry but at the same time, half filled with a fiery determination.

If nothing was wrong he decided that he would stay to help. But by now he had resigned himself to the fact that something was very wrong indeed. A dense feeling of dread was weighing him down.

His intuition was one thing, but the lack of any phone calls or updates was another, ultimately leading him to think the worst.

Sets of traffic lights stood in his way like evil jesters, intent on delaying him from reaching the one place in the world he had to be at this very moment...

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

At the soup kitchen, Alfie was in the process of cutting down the metal shelves, whilst Connie was wedged in as close to Becky as she could get, trying to stem the bleeding from her leg, with Ethan on the other side, dabbing at the cuts covering Becky's forehead. The two doctors had gotten so engrossed in their work, that their mobiles lay unused in their pockets and the thought of calling anybody was completely abandoned.

The time that had passed rather slowly, had entailed various paramedics from St James' coming and going, eventually meaning that the only people remaining in the building were Connie, Ethan, Alfie and Becky.

"It's all going to be alright now Becky, you just need to try and stay awake for us... Think of Mandy, ok? Think of your daughter..." Connie spoke softly, all the time trying to distract the frightened woman, who seemed to be more of a vulnerable girl. Connie's hand was starting to go numb after no movement for around 20 minutes. So, moving slightly, she said to Ethan "I need you to take over for a bit,"

Ethan had just shuffled over and reached his hand over Connie's, preparing to immediately slide under her slender fingers to reach the wound, when a creak resounded in his ears.

That's when it happened.

An explosion on the opposite side of the building caused a massive portion of the top floor to come smashing down onto the unsuspecting four below.

Chalky smoke billowed around the remaining space, coating every surface of the now silent room..

Meanwhile, Sam had just stepped out of his car in front of the site, and was standing in shock having witnessed the burst of fire on one side of the smouldering wreck, proceeded by a loud crack and crash from the other.

With reckless abandon, he put every ounce of energy in his body towards sprinting into the danger. His cracked voice could be heard all around, bellowing the only word on his mind with both passion and desperation.

"_CONNIE!"_


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello!**

**Firstly I am SO sorry that this update is late, it's my fault because I thought I had uploaded this on Saturday morning! Evidently not! I've made it long to compensate :) Although part of me is glad because I was starting to think you all hated it when I didn't get a review :D**

**Talking of reviews, thank you to everyone who has given up a portion of their lives to review my writing, I can't tell you how grateful I am!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter,**

**Isabella :)**

**P.S Wasn't Connie just flawless in Saturday's episode? That hair shake as she took her helmet off was gorgeous!**

Chapter 9

Connie roused from her unconsciousness, dazed and confused. Even before opening her eyes, she tried to make sense of things. Her thoughts were fuzzy, each one took a tremendous amount of effort and it felt like they were being filtered through shattered glass.

Pain... So much pain...

Desperately needing to escape the darkness, she cautiously opened her eyes, which stung from the dust that caked her eyelids and face.

Within seconds, tears were streaming down Connie's pale cheeks, half from despair and half her body's attempt at washing away the dirt...

All this time, a faint echo reverberated around her:

"Connie... Connie!"

She couldn't help but notice that the person sounded very distressed.

'Maybe they need my help?' She questioned, as a result of the autopilot doctor inside kicking in.

It was at that exact moment her situation hit her. There was an immense weight on her chest and agony racked her body. The doctor began to panic, hyperventilating till each breath she took was like a stab to the heart.

She couldn't breathe... She couldn't move... She couldn't understand.

After several minutes of willing herself to calm down, Connie mustered every bit of strength she had left to shout shakily, her voice cracking with every word

"Help me! Somebody... Save me... Help..." She gradually slipped back into a panicked state, as flickers of fire illuminated her face.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The blazing inferno on the other side of the soup kitchen was raging out of control. Firemen were desperately trying to fight the tongues of flames. The flames fought back.

Sam had felt lost since the moment he ran into the danger. His hair was dusted grey from the brick powder which lingered in the air, and his shirt was torn from where he had brushed past glass around door frames and windows. The name he had cried out time and again was beginning to lose it's meaning, as images of the woman whom he loved, whom he believed he could truly make his life with, darted in front of his eyes. Images of blood spattered across her perfect face; images of her lying lifeless beneath a tonne of rubble.

As he reached the epicentre of the collapse, faint moans reached his straining ears. At first he really believed that his own hearing was playing tricks on him.

Sam stumbled around as if blind, twisting in circles in search of the sound's source yet careful to avoid the pockets of fire which flicked up from debris strewn across the ground.

After an eternity, his eyes came to rest on a single lock of hair a few metres away, that was illuminated by the orange glow from the fires. Nutmeg coloured hair. Sam rushed over to it, and found it attached to Connie, who was in the exact state he had pictured with horror. Blood did run across her face, from a series of scratches on the top of her forehead. And she was lying beneath a block of ceiling that spread across her, an unconscious woman and then the edge across half of Ethan, who also seemed to be in a deep sleep. Sam could also make out a fireman's uniform somewhere beneath nearby chunks of brick.

The man leant in to listen as Connie's cracked lips started to move.

"Sam...? Sam... Please help me... I don't deserve it but please...help me..." She pleaded, each word proceeded by a wheeze. The woman was crying, and frantically trying to breathe underneath the weight of the cement block pressing on her chest.

Her beautiful hazel eyes shone with overflowing tears, and in that moment Sam felt she was staring into his soul, speaking to his very essence.

Softly he reassured her, "Constance Beauchamp, don't you go talking like that. I'm only here to help you, we are going to get you out of here... Ok? All you need to do is look straight at me, we _will_ get out... I promise," and stroked her cheek tenderly.

It was then that Connie, trapped and injured as she was, truly felt safe. Just having his skin against hers reminded her of happiness, home and love. He _had _come to save her, he _had_ answered her call, and everything would be alright now so long as Sam was with with her.

"The...others... Get them out... First... Becky has a ... daughter..."

She said suddenly, seconds after it hit her that there were others injured.

"No I think we need to get you out first to even get to Becky..." Sam spoke quickly, thinking up any excuse to save Connie immediately and take her out of danger.

" Get Alfie...Get Ethan... Then Becky... Then me... _Promise me..."_

And despite the fact that she was being crushed by a ceiling, Connie managed to plaster her trademark glare all over her tear streaked face. Sam couldn't refuse.


	10. Chapter 10

**HI! It's been too long! Long story short I need to find a new way of saving my chapters because the past couple of days have been a nightmare! I've basically had to rewrite this FOUR TIMES so I'm sorry it isn't very good. I'm sure you'll believe me when I say the original was groundbreaking... I just can't remember any of it XD I promise the next will be better, but I would still appreciate any comments you have.**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 10

It was an agonising process for Sam, watching three other people get pulled out from the rubble and saved, whilst Connie simply had to lie there with an oxygen mask. They couldn't even reach her arm to give her the pain relief she so clearly needed.

First the paramedics Sam had called in, got Alfie the fireman out from beneath a heap of bricks, pipe work and plaster. He was quickly put on a stretcher with a neck brace and taken away. Then it was Ethan's turn, but the young man was unconscious which made the task ten times harder.

Amidst the chaos of the hell Sam seemed to have fallen into, he had no desire to answer his mobile every time it rang. He was positive somebody would have updated the staff; it certainly wasn't going to be him. To speak the words would bring this blurry nightmare into focus and he didn't think he was ready to take on reality just yet... No, he was better to stay knelt beside Connie, clasping her hand and telling her the lie he had told so many times,

"Everything is going to be alright"

Back at the ED, the staff were becoming frantic. Dixie had called to tell Zoe about the situation, and Zoe had then told everybody else.

Cal and Lily ( who had returned very soon after she got Mandy to safety) were pacing around cubicles anxiously.

Cal was worried for his brother of course... But Connie too, was prominent in his thoughts. Whereas Lily kept thinking of Ethan... She believed it should have been her back there and not him. Ethan didn't deserve anything bad to happen to him, not kind, adorable Ethan. Their pacing and fidgeting got so obvious that Tess went and told them both to have a five minute break.

"...before you wear the floor away," she had said. Luckily they were easily able to sneak off as the majority of the casualties had been either seen to or discharged.

Mandy was being looked over in cubicles, but she had only managed to get a few scratches.

"Excuse me, where is my Mummy? Is she going to be ok?" She cried out to an important looking man walking past her bed.

The gentleman stopped short to face the young girl, and said calmly "I don't know but I can find out for you. What is your name and your mother's name?"

"I'm Mandy and she's called Becky, Becky

Kennedy," whispered the scared girl.

"Don't you worry Mandy, I'm sure we will find her - Nurse Miller! Could you stay with Miss Kennedy here for a while please?" Called the surgeon, who truly should have been doing a whole list of other things at that precise moment in time.

"Of course Mr Hanssen" replied the nurse, shocked that the CEO even knew her name...

All of a sudden there was a cacophony of noise as Alfie and Ethan were wheeled into the hospital on stretchers.

Charlie hovered at the door for a good five minutes after before sighing quietly "still no Connie" to Zoe who was walking by.

"She'll be alright Charlie, Sam Strachan isn't on site so I'm pretty sure he will be with her, she won't be alone" the woman comforted, whilst soothingly rubbing Charlie's arm.

His care for the Ice Queen warmed her heart, and so she actually hoped, that for Charlie's sake, Connie would pull through and live to grace the ED floor with her killer heels once more...


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello! I am seriously considering moving my update day to a Sunday now, as so much seems to happen on a Saturday. Actually, it might just be the general weekend if that's alright. This particular update is a day late because I haven't had time to write due to my ceiling collapsing XD so I'm sure dear reader, you will appreciate that **_**writing **_**about a collapsed ceiling was not at the top of my list! Please read, review and enjoy!**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 11

It had been a full hour since the incident with the ceiling, and everybody was out and relatively safe apart from the beautiful brunette- who was deathly pale and drained of all energy. The emerald green uniform she wore was completely hidden beneath dirt and all the sparkle in her eyes appeared to have been washed away-traces only remaining in the tears lining her cheeks. The streaks of salt water wiped away the dust on her face in long stripes, betraying her feelings of fear, pain and despair. Her only comfort was that the others were relatively safe now.

Becky was being rushed to hospital by Ian and another paramedic, so Dixie and Sam were the main helpers when it was finally Connie's turn to get pulled out from under the plaster that had her pinned to the ground. By now she was drifting between reality and a foggy dreamlike state. Her breathing was too shallow. Her heartbeat was too slow. Sam was increasingly anxious.

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're in here, basically risking your life for her? I mean, I know you must have worked with her when she was up on Darwin, but this is dedication mate," Dixie smiled at him, bemused and curious, as she helped clear debris from the sides of the fallen roof.

But Sam replied with a serious look, which quickly wiped the grin off of her face.

"Ah...so it's like that then is it? So, what, you've come to win her back?"

"You could say that I suppose, it wasn't meant to be at the time... Well...maybe if we had tried harder... But I'm not taking all the blame for that one" Sam had a quick chuckle as he looked at Connie's face. He was silenced upon seeing that she was sleeping but far from peaceful.

"Well if you care _that _much about her,some might say that she doesn't deserve you. Though I'm sure my Jeff would disagree. He never had a problem with Mrs Beauchamp..."

"Oh...really?" Sam asked abruptly.

"No no! Nothing like that, he just had a habit of seeing the best in people... That's all,"

"I really am sorry for your loss," Sam whispered, but following a grateful glance from Dixie, the conversation ultimately ended.

A few moments later, it was time.

When all the firemen gathered around and got a hold of the ceiling, they wasted no second in lifting it off, now that they had accumulated all of the necessary equipment. Before Dixie could protest, Connie was in Sam's arms, carried off, and laid on a waiting stretcher.

The movement and pain of having the pressure released from her chest caused Connie wake and cry out in agony.

"Get her the pain relief... NOW!" Called Sam, his hand outstretched for the syringe that didn't come. He was panicking because it was so rare for Connie to be, dare he think it, _vulnerable._

"We need to get out of here Mr Strachan, then she can have it," stated Dixie, who was shocked that this so called "fantastic" surgeon would make such a hasty decision.

"If you won't do it, I will," and after fumbling in his medical bag, he performed the quick procedure in under a minute, replacing some of the confidence that the blonde paramedic had in him.

"Alright now we _are_ going..." Muttered Dixie as the parade of uniforms picked their way through the rubble.

Unbeknown to them, a few metres from the back of the inferno in the building, lay five barrels of beer.

Stored unofficially as a way of keeping up the money for the soup kitchen, the few that put them there had not even recalled their presence, let alone told anybody about them. That was about to change. The blaze crept nearer and nearer. All of a sudden, it caught onto a stray beam of wood and rushed quickly to that one place it should never have reached.

The great BOOM of the explosion tore across the length of the building's remains, obliterating it to smithereens. Brick was consumed by furious ruby and amber, giving off gusts of dense black smoke as the firey forks licked at anything they could reach. The once idyllic place, set on the outskirts of a small wood, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, now represented anger and suffering.

A stray scrap of burnt green fabric fluttered in the wind before somersaulting and descending to the ground right next to Dixie's feet.

"Well I think we can safely say that someone up there was looking down on us today," she stated matter-of-factly, glancing at Sam, Connie and the rest of the team in turn. The now petrified group had exited the building and reached a safe distance seconds before the fire had hit the barrels.

"You can say that again," sighed Sam, who had very nearly dropped Connie's stretcher at the violent bang.

"We need to get her back to the ED as quickly as possible," the man called whilst helping another paramedic load Connie into the ambulance. Today was not going well...


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello! I really enjoyed writing this chapter as it is a bit different. I've never tried writing from this angle before so I'm sorry if it is a bit odd. It stems from an idea I had before I had even written this fanfiction, an idea which was top secret and so naturally one that my friend Sophie ;) actually mentioned in the comments last week I think. Great minds and all XD**

**Please enjoy, read and review!**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 12

Sam held Connie's ice cold hand throughout the ambulance journey, attempting to both warm it and comfort her. She was still unconscious and it was beginning to seriously concern him.

Noticing his face, contorted with anxiety, in the rear-view mirror, Dixie called to him: "It's the shock Sam, that's all, the shock and the pain, plus the painkillers, will just be keeping her asleep. I'm sure she'll wake up soon..." The paramedic knew that Sam should have that knowledge deeply engraved in his head from years of medical practice, but he was clearly in no fit state to recall it.

So Sam then took Connie's deep mumblings and drowsy twitches as proof of what he had been told.

In fact, Connie was dreaming in her deep sleep.

Images shot out of nowhere. An elderly, age spotted hand, grasped within hers...raspy laughing that could only have belonged to Alfred... Then, a small girl's giggle at the flip of a pancake. All of this was coloured with a bright white hue. Suddenly, a final image of Alfred entered the dream. He was looking down at Connie from the highest cloud in the sky, standing of his own accord and freely waving at her, and she was rising up to greet him from her bed. Abruptly, his face changed so he looked frightened... His hand paused mid-wave into a stop signal. The old man was warning her of something.

A lighting bolt struck and smashed the image of him, and Connie sank back to her bed. As the shards fell away, they revealed a sinister blackness: all of the dreadful things her mind could pull out from her memories...screaming and crying, the frantic bleeping of a heart monitor, the crash of a car. And blood... There was always so much blood.

Connie's heart stopped beating just as she was being wheeled into the ED Department.

"No! Connie stay with us. Connie! Stay with _me_..." Shouted Sam as his handhold on Connie's hand was broken.

Zoe, Tess, Charlie, Rita and Cal all crowded around her trying to help. Tess started compressions, Cal held the airbag, Charlie monitored her levels and Rita and Zoe took timings.

Round after round of CPR, oxygen and electric shocks tortured Sam. Everytime her delicate body jolted with the electric current he visibly recoiled. It wasn't working.

Forty minutes passed by, and every person, at some point, had taken over the attempt at starting the doctor's heart, apart from Sam and Charlie, both of whom loved her too much to handle the precision that would be expected from them.

Cal had a different approach . He did six rounds and refused to stop until his arms felt like they were failing. For he loved her too but had the mentality to carry on.

In the room were three different types of love for Connie. True, romantic love. Paternal, friendly love. Lustful, passionate love.

Sam couldn't help thinking how horrid the world would be without Connie Beauchamp. Every one of his dreams had altered to include her, if she was gone he would have no ambitions, no future. He sunk deeper into an abyss of numbness, where each second lasted for a minute, each minute an hour and each hour a year.

Faintly in the background he heard the forbidden words that someone dared to speak "that's been three-quarters of an hour... Is everyone in agreement?"

Immediately Sam snapped out of his nightmarish world and croaked

"No! She would never give up if it was one of you lying here, I won't let you! One more round, please?!" He pleaded.

"What harm can one more round do?"

It was Zoe that restarted before the others could protest. Each pound of Connie's fragile body was like an scorching hot dagger to people's chests.

Meanwhile, Connie's mind, whilst still racing with horrific images from her past, registered a pinprick of whiteness, penetrating her nightmare. The hole stretched, getting wider and more focused. Was it her escape from this hell? She thought. A face drew closer from the light's source. It was Alfred once again. He told Connie of his plan...

The final shock racked Connie's body and when everyone's final flicker of hope was being well and truly suffocated, a harsh bleep resounded around the room.

And Sam, especially, clung to that beep, until every last wave of it's vibration had ceased.

For it was the sound of life.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi!**

**First of all to Amelia:**

**Yes I do remember! Thankyou for your kind reviews and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story ;)**

**Secondly, I wasn't too sure about this chapter, it just fills in a few gaps before the next parts of the story kick in and I know some of you out there (wink wink) will enjoy the ending to this. But I should warn you, I wrote it without thinking and there will be no follow up so enjoy it while it lasts :D**

**Hope you like it**

**Isabella :) **

**Chapter 13**

The feeling of relief was palpable in Resus, as Connie's heart monitor continued to bleep with every precious beat of her heart. Sam was speechless with his happiness and started to laugh as he thought about how stupid he had been to doubt Connie's power. Charlie patted him on the back and smiled widely. Cal hovered in the corner, grinning. In fact, considering how much all the medics believed they hated Mrs Beauchamp, there was not an unhappy face to be seen in the whole room. Connie may have made their lives hell at times, but her intelligence was unquestionable - not to mention her care for every patient. They could no longer imagine a world without the Ice Queen...

"Ok, well done Zoe, but we need to get her scanned and then most likely to theatre to sort out her pneumothorax," stated Dylan in his usual way, but for once, with the slightest warmth in his voice.

"Yes, of course- Mr Strachan, is that alright with you?" Zoe questioned hesitantly, taking in how he stared at Connie's face.

Though not awake, and with dirt still suck to her hair and skin, Sam noticed how her general air was finally peaceful.

"Hmmm," the man nodded.

"It's a simple procedure, as you know, but we think part of the left side of her lung has collapsed... We really need to go now," Zoe gently probed.

"I'm well aware of that, I said yes," Sam muttered, momentarily broken out of his trance.

"Please could you let go of both her hand and the bed then..."

"Oh, of course...sorry..." Sam stuttered, jerkily removing his hands as though they had touched an oven. He looked over with a newfound anxiety for Connie as she was wheeled away, whilst massaging his knuckles, which were white from his immensely firm grip...

XxxxxxxxxxxX

The first thing Connie recalled when hazily awaking from her deep slumber was what she had dreamt during that dreadful time, the dark time, where no memory could go unseen. It all came back to her and the thoughts frightened her until she vaguely remembered what had occurred next.

In her "dreams", Alfred, dear Alfred, had whispered his plan in her ear. It was that she would make her heart beat again for the sake of Grace and for the sake of anyone who cared about her. Connie had not truly wanted to, for succumbing to the blackness seemed such an easy thing to do. But the blackness had not accounted for the fact that it was trying to entice a fighter. A woman who had broken down almost every barrier life had built in front of her.

It was this that had truly revived Connie, and it was this memory that pushed her to consciousness after her resuscitation and sugery.

The first sight that greeted her was a man's face, warm and smiling. His features slowly came into focus with every blink, the laugh lines and the penetrating eyes she was so fond of, coaxing her into reality. She let him tuck a stray strand of her neatly brushed hair (curtesy of Robyn, who had been more than willing to "deal" with Connie's coveted locks) behind her ear, and her heart melted at the sound of his voice

"Connie Beauchamp, don't you ever do that to me again, do you hear me?"

"Why, Mr Strachan, I thought you'd have more faith in me..." She whispered in reply. Her soft smile turned into a wince as she tried to move up the bed.

"No no, you just stay still for a moment and I'll sort your pillows out. Four broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and bruising all over you, do you really have to be the best at everything or is it just lucky coincidence?" Sam asked sarcastically, and then smiled when his comment earned him some of the infamous death stare he wanted to see. At least he knew that beneath the broken body was still the same Connie.

"How...how long have I been here?" She pondered out loud.

"About three and a half hours, give or take, you'd love to know who's visited you in that time..."

"Enlighten me," stated Connie quietly.

"Charlie, Elliot, Tess, Cal, and even Henrik Blooming Hanssen! Though he claims he was just looking for a little girl's mother and wanted to ask you about her if you were awake..."

Suddenly, after remembering the soup kitchen, Connie spoke hoarsely

"Ethan...Alfie...Becky... Are they alright? Do you know what's happened to them?"

Noting the urgency in her voice, Sam reassured her

"They're all going to be fine, you were the worst out of the lot of them! By the looks of it, the ceiling landed on you first so you got the biggest blow, the woman - Becky was it?"

Connie nodded eagerly,

"Yes, well she was pretty protected by the shelves already over her. She had to go to surgery once they got her out from everything trapping her, but they've saved her leg and she will be alright, Ethan broke his arm because he was stemming the bleed from Becky's leg, but surprisingly it was a clean break and on his left arm, which is obviously very good. Alfie was KO'ed at the scene but apart from a concussion and a few cuts on his face, he will be ok too. That just leaves you nearly dying on us!"

"I don't intend to go that easily, don't have any worries about that... What about Grace?" Questioned Connie.

"Well, don't get mad at me... But Kieron is bringing her over... I may have sent them some tickets... And once they get here, Kieron is heading down to London to meet some friends anyway... So we, I mean you, will have her all on her own," stumbled Sam, avoiding eye contact incase the news annoyed the delicate lady in front of him. However, after risking a glance, Sam found a beaming smile in reply.

"Thankyou... I don't know what else to say... Just thankyou Sam," she managed to choke out.

"The fact that I have rendered you speechless is quite enough!" the man smirked. He continued,

"Anything I can do for you whilst you are a helpless invalid?"

"Cheeky. Well, I wouldn't mind getting out of this hideous gown, and I can't even bear to think who put me in it in the first place- but the question is: Can I trust you in my house?"

"Oh yes, certainly, definitely - I'll go now," Sam answered hurriedly, unwilling to miss such an opportunity. But as he rushed off to get her keys, Connie simply decided how much money to knock off the pay check of the nurse who had dressed her in the revolting spectacle the NHS called clothing...


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi, I'm on holiday at the moment, so this probably isn't up to my usual standard, and I am aware that it is a bit short :\ sorry. But I hope you like it and that you are all having a lovely summer!**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 14

A couple of days went by and although the ED staff felt the absence of both Connie and Ethan immensely, there was a pleasant change in the atmosphere of the department. Realising that losing Connie for good would affect them more than just the knowledge she was in prison, caused everyone to feel a lot less tension about her in general.

Zoe had taken over temporarily as clinical lead, and both her and Dylan had worked through their shifts trying to work out what had caused Connie's cardiac arrest. Luckily they had come to the conclusion that it was from the trauma of the accident, and there was only a small chance of a reoccurrence. From then on, they worried about Sam, who they had grown to quite like in the short amount of time he had been with them. His mischievous grin and selfless attitude enticed them, not to mention the carefree side he was able to coax out of Connie. Unfortunately he found himself once again in Hanssen's office, after being dragged away from a certain someone's bedside...

"You _abandoned_ your post because you _felt _that there was something wrong?!"

Boomed Henrik, the calm man who had asked about a mother and her daughter only two days ago, long gone. He had been too busy to deal with the incident recently, what with press conferences and his own surgery list, but now his professional side had kicked in and he was going in for the kill.

"Mr Hanssen, I can assure you that had I not gone, you would have lost both a junior doctor and the best clinical lead you have ever had, not to mention a fireman and that poor girl's mother. They would have gone up in flames. So, yes, I had a feeling, but I am a doctor, I have to live on instinct. And if Con- Mrs Beauchamp had died, _your _hospital would have suffered," proclaimed Sam, fired up with passion. However his little speech was no good.

"I am not interested in your biased viewpoints-especially regarding someone you had made clear was going to have a professional relationship with you. The fact is, people _here _could have died due to your absence, and you should count yourself lucky that Zoe Hanna was-"

But Sam interrupted the towering man, in his own office, completely exasperated with how the conversation was going,

"You know what? Just suspend me like I know you're going to, I will hold my little conference on the techniques I have brought you, and then I'm gone, long gone, and I won't be coming back. Ok?!"

And with that, he stormed out and slammed the door, leaving the CEO with a horrified look on his face.

The moment the door banged behind him, Sam knew that he had acted out of anger and wanted nothing more than to go back in there and fix everything. That wasn't going to happen. So, sulking and muttering to himself, he walked back down to the ED, wondering what on earth he was going to do next.

In the meantime, Connie was fast asleep in bed on the side ward she was staying on, when a little girl and a young man came tiptoeing over, giggling slightly. All of a sudden, the little girl pounced onto the end of Connie's bed, causing her to jump awake. It took a moment for her to take in what had happened, and to rid her mind of the horrible flash backs she was having, but then the mother called "Gracie!" before welling up at the sight of her daughter, after being seperated from her for so many months.

Abruptly, Grace asked, "Where does it hurt?"

This startled Connie, however she replied "Well, sweetheart it's my chest mainly-"

"Ok then..."

And with that, Grace lovingly embraced Connie's shoulders.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi! So I'm basically rubbish at updating on time and for that I am tremendously sorry. But for those of you who have stuck around and are still reading this no matter when I update I want to say a massive thank you! This was originally very **_**very very **_**long so I split it in half for the next update.**

**Enjoy!**

**Isabella :)**

**Chapter 15**

Kieron left soon after the pair had arrived, following a quick and sheepish hello to Connie. This meant that for the whole afternoon, Grace and Connie lay on her small bed, snuggled up together and embracing the privacy of her side room (a special favour, as going into the luxury of a private hospital wouldn't be diplomatic)

Connie simply had to laugh at the amount of obviously slow thinking staff who wandered past the door and saw Grace lying on the bed, before mouthing the words 'Mr Strachan' to themselves. Every single one had the same look of awe at their great revelation, so for a while this was entertainment enough before Connie blocked out the outside world entirely and got Grace to pull all the blinds down.

Connie's daughter noticed how exhausted her mother looked, which was not helped by the array of scarlet scratches adorning her face, but she secretly marvelled at how she still managed to look elegant in her long, silvery, silk nightdress and matching dressing gown. The delicate material clung to her in all the right places, showing her beautiful figure but covering her up sufficiently for a hospital where her colleagues would see her. Grace had a secret wish that her jeans and stripy blue t-shirt would magically make _her_ look so pretty. Growing up was having the usual effect of decreasing the self confidence in the young girl, and now everything mattered to her, from her unruly hair to her nails.

But it wasn't time to mention this yet. Instead, Grace couldn't stop talking about America and all the things she had seen in New York...The Statue of Liberty... The Rockefeller ice rink (where Sam had fell flat on his face and insisted he was just demonstrating what _not _to do)... And her rides on the famous yellow cabs to get to school... That was something that Connie noticed particularly when Grace talked about her school; everything was positive. The very fact that she _was _talking about school spoke volumes. She hadn't been told off once it seemed, and it sounded like she had some lovely friends now, rather than the misbehaving female-dogs she used to associate with. And best of all, despite the long flight she had just endured, Grace was as spritely as ever, which meant that her thoroughly worn out mum could just listen and relax... In theory.

At first, Grace's happiness upset Connie- it reminded her of how unhappy she must have been with her. Yet it also delighted her to see what opportunities were being opened up for Grace, and this prospect kept her from the tears she felt like shedding...

By evening, when the stars were twinkling through the blinds and the moon was emitting a gentle glow, Grace was all out of things to talk about, and Connie was all out of lighthearted things to say, so the eight year old decided to talk about something else that was more serious;

"Are you sure you're ok mum?" She asked anxiously and meaningfully, tugging on the sides of her top as she did, and sitting up to properly look into those familiar hazel eyes with her own chocolate brown ones.

Connie's eyes, which had begun to glaze over, sparked up again as she forced a smile to prevent her cracks from showing

"Of course sweetheart! Yes, Grace- honestly I am - the accident was... scary but I'll be fine,"

"Alright then..." Grace sighed, trying to overlook the blatant lie.

_What Grace didn't know couldn't hurt her _thought Connie when she decided to skip past the fact that her heart had stopped beating of its own accord for three quarters of an hour.

"How about you go and look for your dad? I'm a bit tired and I think I'm going to be boring and have a little sleep!" The brunette smiled gently to reassure the girl who, to her,was still a baby really...

"I don't know where he's got to, it doesn't matter or anything... But he was supposed to be meeting me and Kieron at the front doors... We rang him but Kieron needed to go and catch his train..." And then to Connie's horror, her daughter began to sniff and sob quietly.

"Oh darling! Hey, shhh shhh..." Connie soothed, embracing Grace gently and wincing through the pain of Grace pressing against her chest. She knew Grace must have been really _really _upset to cry like this, and she would be having strong words with Sam when he even bothered to turn up.

"I'm sure he must be with a patient or caught up with something he can't get out of, and I'm also sure that the minute he is done, he will come to see you," Connie reassured her, but she knew that believing her words was a hundred times harder than saying them.


	16. Chapter 16

**I am so sorry that this update is so late but I have had absolutely no good ideas about how to write the next part until now. What I had already got was pretty dull so I had to tweak it a bit. There is a lot of drama to keep it interesting and in the end I quite enjoyed writing it :D I hope you enjoy reading it.**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 16

Following his attempt at doing every last thing in the ED he could think of, Sam had been forced to come and face what he had been dreading. The man made an appearance at Connie's bedside at ten o'clock that night. Both her and her daughter were fast asleep, with Grace wrapped protectively in her mother's arms. The image was beautiful and would have made a lovely photograph if Sam had been brave enough to take it. The metallic coloured silk of Connie's nightdress was draped partly over Grace's body, blanketing her in the fresh and floral aroma of her mum's perfume- the essence of home, and of safety, and of her childhood. The deep brown waves of their hair were intermingled with barely a shade of difference between them, and the soft breathing that comes with sleep gently lifted the odd strand up and down in a soothing rhythm. Bed sheets lay tangled and abandoned at the foot of the mattress, the only warmth required being emitted from their bodies.

Sam felt like he was intruding on something very special, but thought it best to be present rather than absent for another hour, God knew he would be in enough trouble as it was.

At first he had no idea what to do. Waking Connie up was as dangerous as waking a lion who had not eaten or slept for three days... _Scrap that _he thought _This will be worse. _Deciding not to go for the shaking method, he quietly whispered next to her ear:

"Mrs Beauchamp, we have someone with suspected Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy..."

"Oh...uh..I'm...coming.. in a... Mmmmmm...in a bit..." She murmured as she woke up groggily. After several minutes, and when she had finally opened her eyes fully, her contented face suddenly contorted into a frown. Her eyes darted down to Grace, who was still fast asleep and cuddled up to her body, with faint steaks remaining on her cheeks from earlier.

Connie was awake now.

"You made my daughter cry... You... You left her...you left Kieron! They were _waiting _for you Sam! You'd promised them! And you think it's ok to just leave them on their own?! What if they couldn't find me and Kieron missed his train?! Then what would have happened!" She hissed; hurt and disappointment causing her voice to waver.

"Well if you would just let me explai-" Sam snapped, before being silenced by the perfectly manicured finger that Connie had put to her lips.

"We'll wake her up, let's take this outside- you're not getting off that easy," the clinical lead warned as if she was speaking to a naughty six year old.

Inching slowly off the bed, she managed to lower Grace off of her and in a comfy position. The movement made her feel like her whole chest was on fire, however she tried incredibly hard not to show him any weakness, even refusing his outstretched hand. Once she had crept out of the door (bent over ever so slightly, with her hand delicately resting on the top of her stomach) and onto the very quiet ward, Sam followed her out and hesitantly shut the door behind him. He was trapped now.

"So you think you can just _not_ show up? You know what, I don't even want any excuses... I thought things might have changed but a leopard never changes his spots," Connie growled.

"Speak for yourself!" Was the muttered response.

In the heat of the moment Connie kept pushing- "You know what, I wish you had never come back, then you would stop doing this to us!"

"Well you got what you wished for: I'm long gone, maybe that Cal will whisk you off of your feet, he seems eager enough...You never could wait for an explanation could you?! Always _had _ to assume the worst about someone! Well I'm going to tell you! I got suspended and then I quit because I 'abandoned my post' to come and help you, to come and **save** you! But now Henrik Bloody Hanssen thinks that instinct has no place here, and subsequently neither do I. And I agree with you on one thing; I should have never come back..." Shouted Sam, his voice filled with regret and sadness intermingled with a bubbling anger.

All trace of what they had felt for each other yesterday had been pushed to the back of their minds whilst they entered familiar territory. They had always been good at arguing, the best bit being that neither would ever give in. This always meant they would reconcile with a passionate kiss or one of them would storm off.

"Oh I see! This is the bit where you go all sentimental and talk about your broken heart! Yes you rescued me... You know I will never be able to repay you for that, but I don't have to like you or stay with you Sam... Especially when you do something like this to my daughter!"

"Of course she's _your_ daughter now isn't she?! Don't talk to me about broken hearts Connie, because you can't have ever had yours broken- it would need thawing first,"

Connie was stunned, the pain that such a comment caused her flashed across her features before she fought back. Sam was tired and annoyed, Connie was hurting and angry, it was a lethal combination, with an inevitable outcome.

"That is a low blow for somebody like you Sam, someone who would rather spend their day moping around a hospital feeling sorry for them-self than say hello to their daughter," Connie was seething, each syllable of her words dripped with malice.

With that, Sam turned on his heel and left, pausing to shout "You would be dead without me!"

He never heard the soft reply of "I would" escape the brunette's lips, before she sunk to the ground outside her room, back against the door. The searing pain was making it hard for her to breath... Inhaling was like being burnt from the inside. Connie brought her knees up to her chest in an attempt to crush the torture. However she was no longer sure if she was ill or if it was a side effect of what had just happened.

For what had just happened was this: Sam Strachan had shattered Connie's frozen heart into a thousand shards of ice, and now he had left, it felt as if he had never been back in the first place... And she wasn't even sure if he would be returning.

A small voice in the back of her head whispered to her

"You always push people away... Why do you never realise what is good for you...?"

Connie replied out loud to the emptiness surrounding her

"Because they are the people that can hurt me the most,"


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello! I found this chapter quite tough to write for some stupid reason, I couldn't get the wording right. So I'm sorry if it isn't my best but I would love it if you could still review and tell me how you're liking the general story so far.**

**Isabella :)**

**Chapter 17 **

Sam didn't go to Connie or Grace the next morning.

Sam didn't arrive at lunchtime.

Sam was still gone by the end of the next day.

Sam was taking the day off sick.

Sam wasn't sick, and he wasn't planning for his final presentation.

Instead he was doing practically nothing apart from being sat on his bed, with a picture of Connie in his hands.

The photo was small; small enough to fit in his wallet pocket. The corners were slightly creased and worn, the glossiness faded from years of swapping between new wallets... Years of swapping between his hands. It was the same one that went on her old Holby City Hospital Key Card, and Sam had "borrowed" a copy of it. Her slightly wavy, pixie cut hair framed her face perfectly, with those sparky eyes staring at him mischievously, contradicting the rest of her emotionless face. Light freckles blanketed her cheeks and nose, giving her features depth and life. The photo had ended up at the bottom of a bin multiple times, but always managed to be retrieved before being swept away with the real rubbish. On one occasion the tatty paper had even narrowly missed a dreadful fate at the hands of a cliff edge, following an indecisive Sam attempting to erase his past. However, this captured piece of time didn't succumb to the icy swell of the crashing waves that lay dozens of feet below. It had always stayed with him. Probably for a reason.

When contemplating visiting the hospital, Sam kept telling himself it wasn't that he didn't want to see his daughter - in fact that was the one thing he desperately wanted to do- it was that he couldn't face Connie. A single sentence reverberated in his mind constantly:

_You would be dead without me!_

True as the statement was, how could he even look at her after saying such a thing? Especially in her condition.

After all that they had been through he had still left her. After he had felt the pain of nearly losing her forever, he had still stormed out and gone. Sam couldn't trust himself anymore. He had always known how tenacious and fiesty Connie was, but he had always retaliated as if she was weaker than him, not stronger.

So the man stayed in his hotel room, not eating, not smiling, but simply packing his things up and getting ready to leave. He was a broken man. A broken man with a ticket back to America...

XxxxxxxxxxxX

All throughout that day, Connie was forced to stay in bed and was continuously checked on by a worried Charlie. It had been Charlie that had found her, curled up in the fetal position and fast asleep on the floor outside her sideward. That was at eleven o'clock at night.

It was fair to say that no staff at the hospital had ever seen Charlie in such a rage. The three supposedly "on duty" nurses had a week of paperwork ahead of them following an awful lot of shouting in the staff room. Charlie had stormed down to the ED with them because (as he reminded them) _he _wasn't going to abandon his duties. All the staff working the night shift, including Tess, Ethan and Robyn, had found a gap through the blinds, and they all squeezed in to watch as the drama unfolded:

_"You left one of the most important patients on your ward lying on the floor asleep! SHE MUST HAVE BEEN THERE FOR AT LEAST 20 MINUTES AND YOU DIDNT EVEN NOTICE! HER LAST OBS WERE DUE AT QUARTER TO ELEVEN AND YOU CLAIM TO HAVE BEEN ON A COFFEE BREAK?! THAT'S JUST NEGLECT! _ _AND FOR CONNIE BEAUCHAMP THAT IS __**NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"**_

By now, Charlie's face was like thunder and a violent shade of scarlet, and the nurses were quivering in their shoes.

_"You should count yourselves lucky that I was going to visit her and not Henrik Hanssen! Now get out. OUT!"_

They couldn't shuffle out of the door fast enough.

Charlie was so furious that he was shaking. With all of his might, he slapped the table to try and release his anger, then spun around to see several pairs of eyes staring at him through the blinds. The staff had recoiled as he approached and snapped the blinds firmly shut...

_"_You don't need to feel obliged to see me every five minutes Charlie, honestly, I'm fine," urged a rather worn out Connie. The previous night had erased any progress she was making and she felt as if she had just had the operation all over again.

"The word 'fine' covers a multitude of sins... I really am so sorry about what happened, with the nurses and with- well with Sam,"

"I swear if you say sorry one more time..." Connie threatened him, before grinning slightly and looking at the floor.

She had confided in Charlie about the huge argument.

That was one of the key things that told the senior nurse how horrible his friend must be feeling.

Number one: she had told him something very personal. She always did that when she was feeling vulnerable.

Number two: Connie had insisted that nothing should be done about the duty nurses. No punishment was a bad sign from the Ice Queen.

Number three: that same Ice Queen was tucked into her hospital bed, with Grace lying next to her, looking very disgruntled. She had left her hair all day and it was beginning to go very curly in it's natural way. Her face was slightly gaunt looking without her makeup. Connie still looked beautiful, but certainly ill.

Grace, who had been fiddling with a stray thread on the mattress, suddenly piped up after staying very quiet all day,

"Is dad leaving? Is he going back to America? Will I have to go with him?" All the questions poured out as if she had been bottling them up for hours and they had finally fizzed over.

"No darling, no, he'll come soon enough..." Connie reassured. But the shadow of doubt that crossed her face, passed over Charlie too. If Sam wasn't working at Holby anymore, he was free to go back to New York... If he was free to go to New York he could take Grace with him. If Grace left, who knew what would happen to Connie. Come to think of it, if Sam left, who knew what would happen to Connie...

The fragile brunette lying on the hospital bed began to stare blankly at the wall, absentmindedly twiddling with her hair, much like her daughter. Charlie wasn't having that.

"I'll just be a minute," the older man muttered before heading out of the door and over to the desk computer. He accessed the staff system, did some more clicking and grabbed the desk telephone.

_Ring ring... Ring ring... Ring ring._

_Hi this is Sam Strachan, I'm not in at the moment so please leave a message and I'll return your call..._

"Sam, it's Charlie Fairhead. I need a word with you..."


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello. I promise I was doing so well and I almost updated on Sunday! But then I was way too tired to edit (moving things in the house) So here is the new update- I hope you all like it and if you could leave me a review, you would make my day!**

**Isabella :)**

**Chapter 18**

On the eighth call, Charlie finally heard a faint crackle and then a rather exasperated "_Hello!"_

"Well if you refuse to pick up your damn phone then it isn't my problem!" Came the retort from Charlie.

"Believe me, if I knew how to work my new phone so I could switch it off, I would. It appears Grace can and she changed my ringtone to Bob the Builder. My pillow wouldn't drown the noise out so I had to answer. Just leave me be Charlie. I'm no good for either of them anyway..."

In no mood to laugh at Sam's song troubles, he persisted.

"Look, I don't want a long and emotional explanation. Just answer me this: are you going back to New York?"

_Silence._

"Sam, I swear, if you leave her now then you leave her for good. And if you take Grace away too it will finish her off. To be quite frank I don't care about you. But I care about the woman that is currently lying in a hospital bed after a hugely traumatic experience. I care about the woman who is losing her defense mechanisms one by one, and not to mention her pride, infront of the people she is supposed to lead. And I think you care about her and your child too. Prove me right Sam. I believe you are a good man. Prove me right,"

With that, Charlie pressed 'end call' on his mobile with rather a lot of force, hoping and praying that Sam was the sort of man that listened to his elders.

XxxxxxX

When the next day passed with no word from Sam, Connie knew he had done one of his disappearing acts. Not knowing about Charlie's phone call, she suspected the man wouldn't have returned to America just yet. He would be back, she was positive about that. Besides, Grace went back to school in two weeks time and he would never compromise her education by just abondoning her thousands of miles away from her new life, she thought.

Grace was in fact having a lovely time with her mum. She would lie next to her in the morning, talking and playing cards, then go for lunch when Robyn, Lofty or Zoe took their lunch break, before helping Honey make teas and coffee. However those afternoons were mostly filled with Honey reading her palms, and Grace attempting to read Honey's. This resulted in a lot of laughing and kept the young girl greatly entertained.

Finally, after a whole week in hospital since the horrific accident, Connie was discharged. That was actually two days later than it should have been. Throughout those last two days of her stay all that she did was complain about her discharge forms getting "lost" , demanding that the people responsible be reprimanded immediately, proving that slowly but surely, her old self was returning.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her Tess.." Muttered Charlie after the nurse had watched her friend put a copy of the discharge papers through the shredder.

"I hope she's worth it Charlie! You great softy ... She's gotten under your skin that woman has. I must say I like her a lot more than I used to but you've just fell for her completely haven't you...? All I can say is Connie has no idea how lucky she is to have someone like you looking out for her,"

Going slightly pink, and then tomato red when Tess patted his arm, Charlie replied with a smile and "You and me both know she will be back at work first thing tomorrow morning... I just thought she could do with a bit of forced re cooperation before that happened..."

As certain as the moon at night, the next morning saw a pair of black Louboutins strut their way into Holby ED, rather unsteadily, but strutting all the same. The beautiful hairstyle Connie had created, had meant that her hair had been painstakingly washed, dried, straightened, and curled. She wore a floaty black skirt with a black and white ombre blouse tucked in loosely finished with a new black tailored trench coat. Her signature eyeliner complimented her features, matched with a deep "mulled wine" coloured lipstick. Connie Beauchamp was back.

"Morning Louise. Morning Robyn," she said softly, accompanying her comments with a gentle smile, whilst she cut through reception. They merely looked on in shock.

By the time she was out of hearing distance, the two women were animatedly talking.

"I think she must have hit her head or somethin'," Commented Louise through a confused frown.

"Nah, she was like that when she first came remember? Before she went all icy and scary..." Replied Robyn, grinning when she thought of how much she had admired her then. She still did...

Just as the brunette had opened the door to her office, Charlie came over to her with a worried look on his face.

"Connie, where's Grace? Please don't say you've started leaving her with her Grandma again... It's a vicious loop,"

"Audrey?! No! Don't worry about that, she volunteered to have a sleepover with one of her old friends-"

"Not one of those female dogs you were talking about?"

"No. The only decent one she had, Sophie I think it is,"

"But she can't stay indefinitely- you only have ten days left with her!"

"Oh Charlie stop it! You'll give yourself an angina attack with all of this! She's going to come in with me in a couple of days time, then I'll take the day off with her, then that nice girl Honey the barista said she'd keep a watch on her until the end of next week. They seem to have hit it off," explained the clinical lead, getting more irritated with each word.

"Right then... Ok..." Charlie muttered to himself.

"Oh Charlie... Look I'm sorry.. I'm all over the place at the minute... That angina comment was out of line..."

"No it's not that. I've got the day off next Monday and I thought Grace might like to spend the day with me. But who am I kidding? Who'd want to spend the day with on old medic like me?"

"So you're not angry that I got mad, you're angry that Grace isn't coming to you?! Charlie she would love that! Don't worry... She'll love it," an amused Connie replied, giggling and smiling, even surprising herself.


	19. Chapter 19

**Well hello! Bit of a lengthy one this week which refers back to the soup kitchen explosion. Not sure if this is my best work but I hope you still enjoy it. According to my plan we are now only a few chapters from the end however I may extend a little because I love writing this so much!**

**Isabella :)**

**Chapter 19**

By the following week, things appeared to be getting back to normal. Time moved inevitably forwards, with the phrase "onwards and upwards" prominent in people's minds. Though how much truth that saying actually held was unknown...

Charlie had finally let both Connie and Ethan treat patients after three whole days of paperwork and second opinions if desperately needed. His excuse was that they both (especially Connie) needed to get back into the proper swing of things without much pressure. Ethan begrudgingly accepted, but it took Charlie threatening to lock Connie into her office for her to listen to his instructions. When this earned him a sceptical laugh, he came into her office that afternoon with a tool kit and three padlocks.

As much as she tried, the clinical lead was never able to stay mad at her older friend for long, and because of the lovely Sunday afternoon Connie had spent with Grace that week, she had no problem with Charlie taking her little girl to the zoo the next day. She almost felt like she had spent more time with her daughter in those few days alone than she had in the past year.

As she shut her car door on Monday morning, the frosty winter air nipping at her nose, the woman was forced to momentarily lean against her car as a quick wave of light headedness hit her. The experienced consultant wasn't suprised that she felt so exhausted, especially after all the shifts and that walk to the park with Grace following the accident. She wasn't feeling too alert either, but she _had _eaten quite a few pancakes. Connie had the odd twinge now and again- heartburn from too much sugar. Her head was pounding from not enough sleep and worrying about getting Grace back to America next week if Sam truly had gone. She felt weak from her operation. In fact on that Monday morning, she really wasn't feeling too great. Yet every symptom was easily explained in Connie's mind, so like the fighter she always had been, she marched on into her department with every confidence that the day would go much like any other.

As if she hadn't thought _that _hundreds of times before now.

The very first sign that today would in fact be rather unusual, was when reports reached Connie's ears as she walked through the ED entrance of a small girl with blonde pigtails who kept popping up out of nowhere. Louise, Rita, Cal and Big Mac had all seen the girl at least once within the space of around two hours- all failing to stop to talk to her. It was just as Connie made her way into her office (padlock free) that she jumped with fright as a small figure crept from beneath her desk.

"Missus Bee-ooo-chomp? Weren't you the one who helped me and my mummy at the soup kitchen?" The sweet voice enquired, it's owner sitting cross legged on the floor. The girl was petite, had the odd scratch here and there on her face, and wore a denim pinafore dress with purple suede boots. Each shoe sole had a gaping hole in and the denim of the dress was ripped like a pair of jeans would be, right across the centre. In fact, on closer inspection, the girl's gorgeous straw coloured hair was greasy and one pigtail was higher than the other as well.

"Mandy is it? Yes I was... Are you alright? You've been making my staff rather worried," The words came out softly, reassuringly. A maternal side erupted within Connie upon seeing such a sight.

"Yes I suppose. Are you sure you're the same lady? Her face was darker... You're too pale...and your hair isn't tied up no more..."

"Haha, it's definitely me," chuckled the slightly confused woman.

"Now are you going to tell me exactly why you're here? Where's your mother?"

At that, Mandy just stared at Connie with a heartbreaking look of despair in her eyes. It was a look that shouldn't have filled the eyes of an eighteen year old, let alone an eight year old.

"Mummy doesn't know I'm here. She's in the bus shelter just outside but she can't get up. I been lookin' for you for a long time. I remembered you was nice like that Doctor Lily. But I couldn't find her neither... I don't think mummy's very well today, can you look after her?"

"Definitely, of course I can... Right, just come with me and I'll get some more people to help-"

"No. She wouldn't like that! She just needs you!" Cried Mandy.

"Well for now, alright. Let me get a medical bag- come with me sweetheart," Connie reached out her hand towards the small girl and she took it cautiously.

Many pairs of eyes followed the both of them as they hurried out into the car park and Connie desperately tried to catch any of their glances with a quick flick of the head to signal she wanted some back up- but to no avail.

By the time they got to the bus shelter, Connie had taken off her coat and wrapped it around the little girl, for once not caring that it dragged on the floor as she walked because it seemed like barely one degree celsius outside. The sight that greeted them under the shelter was a stick thin woman lying rigid on the bench, wearing a flimsy top and a pair of thin jeans.

"Becky! Becky can you hear me?! It's Mrs Beaucamp from the hospital!" However, as she shook the woman, she felt her ice cold body and immediately turned to Mandy.

"Right darling I need you to be very brave for me, please could you take of that coat so I can make your mummy warmer?"

Without the blink of an eye, Mandy was out of the coat and laid it gently onto her mother. Connie felt a faint pulse beneath Becky's wrist and could just about make out some shallow breathing.

"Mandy, I'm sorry but I need to get help. Your mummy needs it quickly-"

"Umm, ok then," whispered the terrified girl.

Within no time at all, Connie's shouting got the attention of Max and Zoe, who were reluctantly outside in the cold, smoking, and soon Becky was being wheeled into the ED.

"This is Becky, suspected severe hypothermia and malnutrition, she had an operation on her leg around nine days ago," Called the clinical lead, wringing her icy hands shakily and attempting to end her teeth chattering. Luckily her coat was returned to her as soon as a massive silver blanket was securely wrapped around the unconscious mother.

Just as she was following Becky, Mandy and the staff into Bay 3, a long fingered hand reached out to touch her on the shoulder.

"Mrs Beauchamp, a word please," Hanssen said matter of factly before turning to go.

Connie looked on in frustration and sighed.

"You go, we've got it covered," reassured Tess as she started attaching various drips to Becky's frail arm.

The replying smile was grateful, and Connie made her way over to Henrik by the lifts. The usually elegant woman walked slowly and jerkily due to the pain from her chest. Cold air to healing lungs was like lemon juice to a paper cut.

She was in fact so preoccupied with the searing pain that she didn't notice Big Mac make his way around the corner with a big box of paperwork.

The following happened in slow motion: Big Mac and Connie collided, the box flew up into the air, luckily with only half of it's contents spilling out, the two landed on the floor with a thud and were promptly showered with patient records.

"Ah Mrs Beauchamp! I'm so sorry! Are you ok?!" Shouted a concerned Mac to his boss who was lying on the floor sideways and struggling to get up.

Breathlessly she replied "I am perfectly fine thank you, it was my mistake..."

"There you go-" The porter helped to lift the disorientated woman up and she staggered over to Hanssen, for the first time cursing her Louboutins.

"I'm sorry Mac but Mr Hanssen wanted to speak to me, can I leave you to sort this...mess?"

"Of course of course... So long as you're alright,"

"Yes yes," She muttered before stepping into the lift with Henrik and letting the doors close to.

As the lift began to move upwards, Connie moved shakily towards the back of the space to grab onto the rail. Sharp burning pains stabbed her every time she breathed, her pencil skirt and blouse were crushing her, her hair was suffocating her...

Meanwhile, Henrik stood in front of her facing the doors, believing she was practically hiding from him. _Two can play at that game _he thought and so stayed with his back to her.

"I'm sure you know why I have come down to speak to you, but I shall say it all the same: you know very well that you should have had two weeks off work at the very least following the surgery you had. Not only does this amount of work increase the chance of another pneumothorax but puts your patients at risk. Little accidents like that out there just now are dangerous Connie and you know it... Now I shan't pretend that I am your biggest fan but I certainly want you to get better... Connie? Mrs Beauchamp are you even listeni-"

As the towering man turned around, he found the consultant kneeling with her hands on the floor, head bowed in a curtain of chocolate brown locks, and wheezing harshly. Her scared face turned up towards him and she all but choked out the words "I... Can't... Breathe..."


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi! *cringes* It may have been a while *cowers in the corner* I'm very sorry! I have had the worst writers block I think I have ever had. Nothing has flowed out like it usually does and I've felt distinctly uninspired recently. Therefore I apologise for the poor quality of this chapter. I think it's done me good to have a break though, I hate writing for the sake of it, I find spontaneity more enjoyable :D fingers crossed the next update should be on time!**

**Isabella :)**

**Chapter 20**

The lift was unyielding with each bang of the ground floor button from Henrik's white knuckles. Metallic chains and rods continued to heave it up to the top floor of the hospital where the only 'equipment' available was stationary and desk ornaments. Henrik kept hitting that button nonetheless whilst getting a drowsy Connie to sit up against the wall. A lack of oxygen eventually caused her to black out just as the lift doors opened to reveal an astonished Sam. At first he just stood in horror and stared at the unconscious body of the woman he loved. However after seeing the Director of Surgery leaning over her, jacket off, sleeves rolled up and checking her pulse, he eventually found a way to make his vocal chords work.

"What on earth's wrong with her?! Mr Hanssen?!" The man stood rooted to the spot, it seemed the effort to talk had been subtracted from his ability to move.

"Ah, always the man of the hour, Mr Strachan, I see... Her pneumothorax hasn't had time to heal properly, there was a small incident downstairs and it's developed again but I am unsure as to how bad it actually is... We aren't equipped up here... But I don't know if we have time to get her back down... Ring for help,"

The absent expression which ensued after Sam pulled out his phone and entered his contacts meant that Henrik was forced to fling his own mobile out of his waistcoat pocket.

"Ring Zoe Hanna, then Dylan Keogh, then Serena Campbell... NOW,"

Sam's trembling fingers tapped on the illuminated screen three times as much as they needed to. When he had finally reached Zoe's voicemail and hung up, a familiar woman's voice resounded around him : "_lift going down"_

"No! No wait!" Sam yelled, leaping forwards to grab the doors, but to no avail. Henrik and Connie quickly became a narrower image before disappearing behind the silver panels. With that, he sprinted across to the stairs and rushed down them two at a time, clattering and banging as he went.

At the same time in the lift, Connie was still unconscious, her breathing was shallow and her pulse was slow.

"Connie! Connie if you can hear me I need you to try and take small but often breaths... I'm going to get you some help I just need you to stay with me..."

After tutting to himself in exasperation, he went to pull out his phone once more and then sighed in annoyance when he realised Sam still had it. All Henrik could hope for was that the man had enough sense to keep calling for help.

Halfway down the stairs, Big Mac more or less crashed into Sam.

Sounding immensely apologetic, the porter stuttered "Oh I'm so so sorry, not having much luck toda-"

"It's Con-Mrs Beauchamp, she's on her way down to the ED, I need you to help me," Sam puffed.

"Well sure-"

"There's no time!" And with that, Sam went racing down the stairs once more, leaving Big Mac to hurry behind him...

Thankfully the doors of the lift opened to Henrik and Connie to reveal a stretcher, Zoe, Big Mac and a medical trolley.

"Thank you Mr Strachan, we can take it from here..." Henrik reassured as Connie was lifted like a helpless doll onto the stretcher. Her arm hung down limp and swept across the floor as she was carried up by a couple of nurses. Her hair spread around her on the moving bed, the gorgeous locks framing her flawless face. The father of her child looked on, honestly believing at that moment that she was comparable to Sleeping Beauty herself. His vision was eventually contorted by his tears.

Sam's mind swam with familiar questions to himself, like deja vu. How could he face staying away from her again when every time he went, something terrible happened? How could he be stupid enough to separate himself from her one more time?

But this time he answered his head once and for all...

He would never leave her ever again.

XxxxxxxxxxX

For the second time in two weeks, Connie woke up in a hospital bed feeling less than remarkable. She felt like she had lived through the most wonderful dream, where Sam had come back for her, and helped her when she truly needed him. Her heart was hit with a pang of despair mingled with sadness when she believed the dream to be just that: a fantasy.

Within a few moments her blurry vision shifted into focus to reveal a tall, dark haired and be-speckled man looming over her and making her feel like a tiny mouse in his presence, small and weak. Unaccustomed to such feelings, Connie put all of her effort into the sarcastic comment:

"Good god, what did I possibly do to deserve waking up to you towering over me?"

"May I remind you Mrs Beauchamp that you did many things to deserve such violent posture on my behalf..."

_Did Henrik Hitler Hanssen actually try and just make a joke? _Connie thought in disbelief, while at the same time knowing there was some truth in what he said.

"Well, thankyou for what you did... You were there and you helped... I'm grateful," she was short but courteous, always aware of her pride, but too polite not to say anything. If only now she had been thanking Sam like she would have if her dream had been true... She would have forgiven him... She would have probably even kissed him... It had been such a good dream...

The brunette didn't even look up when Henrik spoke again, her mind seemed too wrapped up in it's own imaginary world.

"And now if you'll excuse me Connie, I'll just go and tell Mr Strachan you're awake. He's been rather worried,"


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello! Right, this chapter is so late because for the last couple of weeks, I did start a new storyline within the fic. Then I realised how forced it seemed compared to the natural closure I had previously planned. So I'm afraid that this is actually the penultimate chapter! But never fear! I have a few one shot ideas sticking to this storyline which I will publish following this one's end.**

**I feel like this is a short but sweet chapter which is what I think is required, at the end of the day this was playing out my hopes for Connie's future, so it gets a bit soppy :D**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 21

Connie gave a small gasp before, eyes wide in complete bewilderment, she choked out the rhetorical question,

"He's here...?"

Henrik looked at her, and for a fraction of a second, his lips curved strangely, almost as if he was smiling. With that, the man turned swiftly on his heel and walked off, leaving the clinical lead of his ED department beaming to herself.

Yet as the reality of the information divulged actually hit her, the fearless 'Ice Queen' started to get butterflies fluttering about in her stomach. Agitatedly, Connie started fiddling with her hair. The work she had done that morning hadn't completely been lost, even after the drama of the chest drain. She shuddered to think of someone being so close to her- so intimate- to carry out that kind of procedure, more so than when she had needed full on surgery. Then her cheeks went cherry pink as she started blushing at the very notion.

Cheeks. Face. Connie panicked whilst she fumbled around on her bed for a mirror that couldn't be found. No reflective metal in sight. Well that's just perfect! She thought. In the end the already stunning woman resorted to a quick swipe under her eyes with a tissue, to remove any eyeliner that had strayed, the old fashioned technique of nibbling her lips for more colour, and a little flick of her eyelashes to remove the mascara clumps.

Her shattered body would hardly stand a walk to the mirror in the ladies at the moment so her makeshift makeup would have to do.

Within what seemed like no time at all, the sound of footsteps rang in Connie's ears. Every second they got louder, and every second Connie kept thinking about what on earth she was going to say to him. She should be fuming, but instead she felt like a giddy teenager waiting for her true love to sweep her off of her feet.

It suprised her more than it should have that the man who rounded the corner and faced her, looked rather worse for wear. There was a certain redness to his eyes denoting lack of sleep or crying, his stubble had surpassed 'five o'clock shadow' completely and entered the 'unkempt scruff' zone, and the way he looked at her... It was like she was his oxygen and he was gasping for lungfuls of air.

"Sam, I-"

"Connie, I am so, so sorry... I don't know what I was thinking... I just... I can't excuse it... I'll never do it again... Not as long as I draw breath-"

"Sam, I love you,"

The words tumbled out of Connie's mouth so naturally, it surprised even her. Suddenly her face broke out into a smile so beautiful and bright that the sun itself would have been jealous.

Sam stared at her, listening but not hearing. When those four tiny words had fully registered in his mind, the look of pure relief and complete adoration that entered the previously distraught man's eyes, and practically glowed within his soul, was proof enough to Connie that he would indeed never leave her again. Their mutual understanding was practically tangible.

Bounding over to her and gingerly embracing her, Sam spoke softly and sincerely, his face buried in her blossom scented hair;

" And I love you, so much.

Connie Beauchamp...my beautiful champion,"


	22. Chapter 22

**So I've finally done it! I've written the last chapter! In all honesty it is full of pure fluffiness but I hope it brings the whole piece to a close in a good way. The lyrics later on may not be completely correct because that is always the way I have been taught to sing that particular song so I'm sorry for any diversions from the original.**

**Charlotte: I had actually planned it this way for a while and I don't think you will be disappointed with the outcome :D**

**Thankyou for every kind comment, piece of advice and general review, and also for reading the story. It means so much to me!**

**Enjoy!**

**Isabella :)**

Chapter 22

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and soon a whole year had passed by. It was once again New Years Eve and the the sky was just beginning to darken, turning a royal blue and starting to twinkle with luminous stars; pinpricks of beauty that enhanced the moon's gentle glow. However this year was different from the last, with the pub opposite Holby City Hospital filling up with the majority of the ED staff, minus their Clinical Lead.

For Connie Beauchamp was snuggled up on her sofa with Sam and Grace.

Her once clinically pristine house was still tidy, but had the warm, loved atmosphere of a true family home. Pictures adorned the walls and mantelpiece of the three of them together, and a dazzling Christmas tree to rival all others stood proud and festive in the corner of the living room, just daring them to even consider taking it down. On the small table next to the mantlepeice there was an assortment of letters and bills from the last year or so , which overlapped on top of a rather important letter, watermarked with Grace's school crest. It was her acceptance letter for a scholarship into the sister school of the one in New York that was a mere 20 miles away from her home with Connie.

And her mother made sure her daughter always came home at weekends.

And Grace made sure Connie had every Sunday off.

For now, Sam's so named "clever young lady", gazed at her parents with complete adoration. They looked at each other as though their souls were connected.

Words could never describe the understanding that was reached between Connie and Sam on that day when he called her his "beautiful champion". Yet somehow it was decided that the two would never discuss their problems again. Constantly going over their arguments and issues was probably where they had failed in their relationship for the eternity it felt like they had known each other . Both had such strong personalities, making it impossible for their volitile streaks to withstand recalling disagreements or 'work out where they had gone wrong'. Sam had gained the time to think this through in the week before he returned to Connie's side, whilst he had stayed in his hotel room and looked over his life. Certainly now it had all changed, and the biggest dispute the couple had gone through recently was precisely which shade of white to paint the dining room. (They had gone for 'Iced Ivory' at Connie's request)

"Grace, sweetie do you want some more popcorn before everyone arrives?" Whispered Connie to her daughter, knowing full well what the answer would be.

Following the eager nod in reply, the brunette beauty got up to go to the kitchen, much to a very sleepy Sam's annoyance.

"But you're so warm and cosy to hold on to!" He groaned, pulling Grace into his arms instead, making her giggle as he started to tickle her.

"Behave you two! Or there is no popcorn!" But she was long gone down the hallway to fetch the remainder of the family sized bag.

For the small New Years party they were holding that night, Connie had picked out her own version of a little black dress. The top part was made of black chiffon, draped elegantly across her front, abandoning her shoulders and sweeping down her back where it reached the skirt section at a small satin bow. This alone would have made a gorgeous statement, however the dress pulled out every stop to entice beauty out of a lady, and so the bottom half of the black chiffon; which lay over an underdress of satin, pulled in at the waist and then flowed out to just above the knee. Trestles of that famous nutmeg coloured hair tumbled down Connie's bare back. They seemed to point downwards to the brand new, patent black pair of Louboutins she wore.

Clicking back down the hallway to the living room, Connie was interrupted by the doorbell ringing followed by a figure silhouetted through the frosted glass.

Abandoning the popcorn, and opening the door, Connie was embraced quickly by Elliot Hope.

The bumbling man released her and beamed up to look her straight in the eyes.

"Connie I've missed you!"

"You big softy it's been two weeks!" Connie laughed in reply.

The man simply grinned and walked in mumbling "Too long...too long..."

Suddenly a cheer came from the living room:

"Uncle Elliot!" Grace called, before being given a great big bear hug by one of her favourite people.

"Hello you! So tell me how your science project is going... Oh the things I could tell you about the heart..."

Grace giggled and pulled him by the jacket over to the cabinet where she was keeping her 3D model.

Connie gave Sam a knowing look and he grinned before getting up and following her back to the kitchen.

"I'm very mad at Elliot..." He whispered teasingly, placing his hands on her waist and coming towards her.

"I was counting on an extra five minutes to sneak away by ourselves before the guests arrived..."

"Mr Strachan!" Connie gasped in mock embarrassment, before leaning in and kissing him with all the love she had.

Becoming lost in the moment, they became deaf to the doorbell's tinkling, and were interrupted by a light cough from the kitchen door.

Pulling apart quickly, and having flashbacks to the days where this would have been "getting caught" they turned to face their friend Becky, grinning in amusement at them.

"Becky! How are you? It's so good to see you!" Blurted Sam, hastily hugging their friend.

"Oh I'm absolutely fine," she giggled. Her figure was now slender but healthy looking since Connie had found her a job at the hospital as a cleaner and Sam had paid for a special course a few months after, meaning Becky was currently a PA for one of the Consultants at St James'. She had passed all tests with flying colours, surprising even herself.

"Mandy went to play with Grace in the living room so I thought I'd come and find you, Charlie is here too,"

"Well we will come straight away then, I'll just fetch the nibbles..." Connie said distractedly before heading towards the metallic fronted fridge, face glowing pink...

Around ten minutes before midnight, the small party was chatting away happily in the living room, glasses full of champagne and bellies full of delicious morsels of food, when Charlie's mobile rang loudly, the piercing noise resounding in the room:

Dun dun dun dun- da da da! Da da du daaa da da- dun dun da du du du...

"Hello-Tess? You want me to what?! Loud speaker? But how do I-"

Swiftly, Grace took the phone off the confused nurse, clicked a button and the whole room could hear a roaring commotion followed by Tess's slightly slurred voice shouting amongst the racket.

"Big Mac is as drunk as a punk... No...skunk! He thinks it's next year already and... well hear it for yourselves..."

Immediately, Mac's loud voice rang in the air:

"Should old acquaintance be forgot?! And never called to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot for the sake of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne my dear, for auld lang syne!

We'll take a cup of kindness here, for the sake of auld lang syne

We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine;

But we've wandered many a weary foot, since the day of auld lang syne,"

Suddenly the whole party joined in with the chorus merrily, holding hands and grinning before the last verse came along.

"And there's a hand my trusty friend!

And give me a hand o' thine!

And we'll take a right good-will draught, for the sake of auld lang syne"

Big Mac's voice was drowned out by a thundering applause from the pub and Connie and Sam's living room. Laughing ensued, and Charlie started to dance with Grace and Mandy to a tune he was humming. Grace's parents simply looked at each other, the lyrics to the song reverberating between them,

"We two have run about the slopes and picked the daisies fine... And there's a hand my trusty friend and give me a hand o'thine..."

Sam glided closer towards her, champagne flute in hand, just as the humming stopped and the small gathering started the countdown, adults and children alike jumping up and down excitedly.

"FIVE!"

"I'll take a cup of kindness for you," Sam whispered, face inching nearer and nearer to Connie's.

"FOUR!"

His hand pushed a stray strand of hair from her face as delicately as feather brushing against her skin,

"THREE!"

Her eyes stared into his, glimmering with love and beauty and affection,

"TWO!"

His free hand reached around to the small of her back, pulling her close towards him once more,

"ONE!"

Their lips locked just as numerous fireworks erupted all down the streets and across England to welcome in the new year. But the glittering shards of ruby and diamond could never outweigh the beauty frozen in that moment, of a couple, in love, offering their souls to each other for all eternity.

Because everything in life will be turn out fine, so long as old acquaintances are never ever forgotten.


End file.
